Happy Halloween!

The Roy’s Pumpkins: 2013

Tim bought two smaller pumpkins so that the kids could each do their own this year. Shay wasn’t interested, so Eden and I set to work and came up with these designs. This is the first pumpkin she cleaned and carved all by herself. Great job!

Dirty Laundry Costume:

We were talking at work the other day and I was reminded of one student’s costume from last year’s Halloween Parade. He dressed-up as “dirty laundry”. We have been struggling to agree on a costume for Shay, but when I suggested this idea, he thought “dirty laundry” might be fun. Personally, I was pulling for the Girl Guide costume, but he wouldn’t bite.

For this costume, I took one of our older (broken) laundry baskets and cut the bottom of it out. (My husband thought this was a great idea, as I actually might break down and go and buy a new one to replace the broken one we’ve been using for what seems like forever.) Here is a list of what we used to pull together this costume. It could seriously be done in under an hour.  I lucked out and had everything I needed at home with the exception of the old soap container.

  • one laundry basket with the bottom removed
  • grey pipe insulation to set along the inside of the cut basket (meant to provide extra comfort) I have an extra piece, but wanted to show the sharp edge.

    basket with pipe insulation

    Here is a shot of the bottom of the basket with pipe insulation installed around the hole for a more comfortable fit.

  • two pieces of fabric scraps (or something similar) to tie to the basket and lay across the shoulders to support the basket
  • one hoody with various articles of clothing pinned or stitched all over it randomly
  • one bedsheet (We included a bedsheet in the basket because it is large and yet very light to carry around.)
  • one large plastic empty laundry detergent container (I messaged a few friends and my neighbor had one we could use – Yay Jen!)  Cut the container below the handle to open up the tops, so that candy can be dropped in through the opening.
  • one empty stain remover bottle, hung and glue gunned to the edge of the basket
  • various clothes pinned to the sheet (to avoid losing them)
  • dirt or dark face paint to add to the “dirty” effect
  • “Dirty Laundry” sign, if you wish
dirty laundry

Here is a trial fitting, minus the face paint to make Shay look “dirty”. You can see how much fun he is having getting suited-up!

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